DeepSeek inspires the 'deep seek' for humanity – Socialization of AI

Editor's note: With the launch of DeepSeek's open-source AI model, the barriers to entry and the costs of AI development have significantly decreased. It is foreseeable that AI's role in human society will continue to expand, both in its impact on the labor market and its integration into daily life. As the annual Two Sessions commences, CGTN's Sci-Tech Section focuses on key issues surrounding artificial intelligence and launches the "DeepSeek inspires the 'deep seek' for humanity" series. Authored by Li Mingling, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Public Policy at South China University of Technology, these articles explore some critical questions, including how we can ensure that technological progress – while promoting fairness, justice and human welfare – does not diminish human value. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Socialization refers to the process through which an individual gradually adapts to social life, becoming a fully integrated member of society by learning and internalizing social norms, values, role expectations, behavioral patterns and cultural knowledge.

Since the advent of the internet, cyberspace has become an additional realm of socialization, alongside family, school and the workplace, continuing to accompany individuals throughout all stages of their life. Mobile internet, in particular, has reshaped lifestyles and patterns of interaction. The internet has created a virtual space distinct from the real world, where not only young people are influenced by network society and culture on social media platforms, but also middle-aged and older individuals can experience re-socialization through short videos and other online applications. At the same time, individuals in cyberspace must also adopt different social roles and adhere to social and cultural norms, such as morality and law. Moreover, many interactions once confined to the physical world have now been transferred and synchronized on online platforms. As a result, internet socialization has become an essential threshold of growth that people can no longer bypass today.

But will we undergo a completely new socialization process in the age of AI, similar to our transition into the internet age? This can be broken down into two questions: How should people adapt to the AI era? How can AI facilitate socialization?

The answer to the first question is clear: to adapt to an AI-driven society, it is essential to actively embrace and utilize AI, learn to understand the new rules of the AI world, and enhance individual initiative, much like we did when we first encountered the internet.

As for the second question, taking large language models (LLMs) as an example, it's not just about learning how to ask AI questions, but also about institutions helping to create tailored question lists for different age groups. For instance, young people could be encouraged to use AI to explore topics such as how to cope with failure, how to improve relationships with their parents, or how to avoid falling into an inferiority complex. This approach would guide them in self-reflection and personal growth.

In the era of mobile internet, human society has witnessed a growing trend where people increasingly neglect social interactions, becoming more self-centered and seemingly less reliant on others. With the rise of AI technologies, such as AI teachers, AI playmates and AI companions, will human beings become even more individualized and atomized in the age of AI?

Zheng Yongnian, professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), highlighted in a previous interview with Tencent Research Institute that Hannah Arendt discussed atomization under centralism, where rulers segregate people to maintain control and domination. Human beings have an innate desire for communication and socialization. However, increasingly, many people are growing disillusioned with direct interaction and instead communicate through AI-powered social media.

Some may wonder if discussing socialization in the age of AI is outdated. What, then, is the significance of exploring socialization in this era?

In my opinion, technology is not meant to distance us from others, but rather to help us focus on what truly matters, fostering more meaningful socialization. Socialization in the AI era should not be confined to AI platforms; it should also extend to aspects of the real world that AI cannot replicate. Therefore, we need to place greater emphasis on practice, the empirical world, and the micro-experiences of interaction.

Moreover, beyond the socialization of people – what I refer to as AI for socialization – AI itself must undergo its own socialization, which I call socialization for AI. Only when AI's progress becomes more socially integrated can it better serve humanity.

On one hand, developers should consider the social dimension of AI, actively incorporating social culture into AI systems and providing AI with knowledge of the social world, rather than relying solely on mathematical or scientific knowledge.

On the other hand, enterprises should not focus solely on profits, nor should engineering scientists concentrate only on task execution. They must also draw on the wisdom of humanities and social scientists, reflecting on real-world issues such as social ethics, power control, inequality and societal biases.

For more: DeepSeek inspires the 'deep seek' for humanity – Democratization of AI

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